Geoff Bell
Consultant
Role and Background
Geoff trained and qualified as a magistrates’ court clerk before joining Stevens Solicitors in Stoke on Trent in 1989. He became the Managing Partner in 2001 and the practice has grown to become one of the largest criminal defence practices in the country. Geoff was appointed as a Peer Reviewer in crime in 2004 and thereafter was appointed a senior panel member, reviewing and validating the work of other peer reviewers and actively involved in peer reviewer training. During his 12 years as a peer reviewer, he has carried out and validated very many reports.
In a recent matter, Geoff advised a DG Legal client in an appeal against an LAA decision to terminate the Appellant’s Contract on the basis of the Second Peer Review. The advice, that the file sample for the second peer review had been flawed, resulted in the Contract Review Body determining that the termination decision should be quashed and giving a direction for a fresh peer review to be held.
What Clients Say
I attended a training course ‘Guide to Peer Review’ provided by DG Legal; Excellent presentation by Geoff Bell. Lots of very useful information about file marking, rating scoring etc. Really good location and time spent on the course has enhanced my knowledge about all aspects of the areas, which I needed more information. Thank you.
Frank Chelian
Director, Chelian Law
Attended a Peer Review course last week led by Geoff Bell. The course was very informative and focused on the detail that Criminal Legal Aid practitioners simply have to know. Many points raised already put into practice and we faced an audit from the LAA with confidence knowing that we were getting things right and tweaking the systems already in place. Very useful notes and appendices. The client care letter etc. have already been adopted.
Simon Hustler
Principal, Charter Solicitors
Contact us
To discover more about how we can help your firm with compliance issues, please either call 01509 214 999 or send us an email.
